Wednesday, February 4, 2009

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."What do those words from the Declaration of Independence have to do with macaroni and cheese? Not really that much. They were both created by Thomas Jefferson, who would have been considered one of the greatest Americans in history had he just come up with one of those brilliant ideas, let alone two.

This video recipe shows the basic steps to making classic, old-school macaroni and cheese. The adjustable aspect comes in when you decide how much pasta to boil. Most mac and cheese recipes that use this amount of cheese sauce call for 8-ounces of dry elbow macaroni. This makes for a very rich, cheesy, and gooey casserole that yields about 4 portions.In this version I use the same standard cheese mixture, but boil the whole pound of macaroni. This also produces a lovely, crispy-topped dish of mac and cheese, but yields about 8 portions. This version is very tasty, very cheesy, but certainly not as rich, moist, or gooey. Of course, as I mention in the video, you can use 12-ounces and split the difference.

I know you still may be working on your chocolate lava cake homework, but when you have time try this recipe, and vary the amounts of pasta to find your personal preference.

One thing you won't want to change is the perfect crust technique I use for the topping. The surprisingly small amount of crumbs, covering just the right a mount of cheese, cooked at just the right temperature, will produce crust that even Mr. Jefferson would have been proud of. Enjoy!

198 comments:

We should use all cheddar, sharp cheddar cheese? Yellow or White? Both? Just one kind? :) I'm anxious to make this and want to make sure I'm not screwing up the cheese part (since it's fairly important!)

Enjoying this recipe very much. Canot wait to make this version! Thank you!! Questions--salted or unsalted butter? Saw you added salt--and wondered. Heard there is a signifcant difference for flavor in the rue.Crumbly bacon and bacon fat on top with the panko may be nice, cause who doesn't like bacon. :)

I just found your blog, and I love it!! Thanks for the recipes! Mac and cheese is my absolute favorite comfort food and I loved the molten lava cake from before. I haven't had a chance to make these yet but I appreciate the recipes all the same.

Really? Only unsalted butter? Why? Why is it more expensive? Would you use it on a piece of toast? Butter a slice of no-knead bread? Please elaborate.I will try this mac and cheese recipe. I have made your other mac and cheese recipe that uses whipping cream and am interested to see the difference. I like to use some smoked cheddar.

copied from bruce on chowhound...Salt was originally added to butter as a preservative. I suppose people just got used to the taste of salted butter. The truth is, unsalted butter is purer; more care must be taken in manufacturing to remove the milk solids (which are what spoils in the short term; butter, like any fat, will eventaully turn rancid, but that takes a long time). Unsalted butter is specified A) because the amount of salt you then add to your recipe will be a precise and known quantity, B) because it tastes better  more buttery and B) it's less apt to be old and have off flavors.

This is the perfect classic, and it's wonderfully customizable. I've made this before and added lightly cooked garlic and onions to the roux, as well as substituted sriracha sauce for the cayenne pepper. Oh, and the sharper the cheddar, the better! I hope others will post their variations. I wonder how it would taste with a bit of Stilton crumbled in there...

they are just about ready, but I still have to decide how to charge for them, etc. I'm thinking of a Foodwishes Pro site where for a very small monthy fee, you get all the videos, plus transcripts, plus any cooking school videos. Still brainstorming!

Chef...you are a wonder...made this tonight , it was unbelieveable ,so gooey and cheesey. Had it with fry tilipia with a crispy crust too. PANKO LIVES!!!!!!!They are the best keep secret in the foodie world..

I made this last night chef and I really messed up on the roux part. When the butter began to "sing" as you say, I dumped in the flour and it instantly got really clumpy. It was the color you said it would be but it looked nothing like the consistency your roux had. What did I do wrong here?

I decided to make this as my first ever DIY meal from "scratch" (except the noodles were store bought). My most adventurous meal previously was a PB&J pizza with chocolate chips and marshmallows that I made for my son.

I took it to a party and it was a hit! Nothing was left to bring home! I used cheddar and gouda and it was amazing.

Hi Chef John! I live in Honduras, and I really, really doubted I would EVER find panko, but the other day a found a whole lot of panko bags in the asian section of one of my favorite supermarket! Yay! I was so happy I found it! :D

I tried using panko in a couple of recipes instead of normal breadcrumbs and they turned out so different and even more delicious!Thanks!!AAH

In the mac and cheese my mother made, it has a milk/cream mixture that's been simmered with a bay leaf and cinnamon stick and clove. It makes the roux a little more scary since the milk won't be cold (when I tried it, for a moment I was holding a pan full of squishy pancake batter -- eep) but it works nicely.

Ive done a version of this now several times, unfortunetly i dont have most of the ingredients due to just not having the money. what i tend to do is make the rue using just the butter milk flour and salt, then i use a bar of mild chedder and a half of sharp. ive tried all sharp and ive tried all mild cheddar and neither have really hit the nail on the head for me yet. its not bad considering all the missing ingredients. my biggest problem however is the i guess consistency of the cheese. its good but its not completely smooth and creamy. i almost think somehow im adding too much flour, even though im adding only as directed....not sure though...maybe you have an idea?

Hi Chef John, I just want to say that you're the best cooking teacher ever! I was too scared to cook anything but when i saw your videos, they were so easy. My husband and my friends are sssooo impressed. Anyways, I made this mac and cheese and it came out grainy. Seem like the flour is uncooked? What do you think caused this?

I think the sauce was ok before I baked it. I was thinking that maybe I overcooked the sauce a little bit because my baby was crying and i left it for a few minutes. Do you think that might have caused that? By the way, my husband and I still finished the whole thing for lunch and dinner. :p

Hi, I made this today and it tasted a bit blend! I'm not sure what kind of cheese I used, it was cheddar, the only one they had at the store, problem is that I'm a non French speaking Swede living in Paris, so I didn't manage to figure out if I had a sharp cheddar or not. Anyways, to the point, the end result was not so cheesy, tastewise, the consistency and all was great, but the taste was kind of weak...I used 400g of cheese. Did I use too little? We don't measure cheese in cups here in Europe so I just took a guess at how much I might need...

I have always loved baked macaroni and cheese but just did not have a good recipe. This is the best. Tonight I have made it from this recipe for te second time since I stumbled across it on youtube. Comes out perfect with never having leftovers.

Hi Chef, I made the m&c and the white sauce turned out great..then I put int he sharp cheddar and let it cook but it had a grainy texture to it.. what did I do wrong?.. besides that, even my teen ate it! And to him if it not fast food to its not food...Im slowy winning that fight with your help..Thank you!

Chef.. My last post I asked why my cheese sauce had a little grainy texture to it even when I turned off the heat. I was just watching a food show and they said use whole milk not 2% or your sauce will break.. is this true?

Hello, I just made this for my kids and they loved it. For me, I think it's missing something. I added some black pepper and it brought some flavors out but that something is still missing. Any suggestions on what to increase or add extra? If not, is one of the best I've made so far.

hey chef john, i'm making this right now and it looks GREAT. however i've been planning to save it for tomorrow around 12:15 ish so that i can serve it at a class party. should i oven cook the crust in the morning or right now? its 9:30 PM hehe

For those who are having the "grainy" problem, in my opinion cheddar cheese is not the best cheese to use. I know I'm going to get flamed, but I switched to American Sharp by Land O Lakes and it melts wonderfully and it has a nice sharp kick to it. I couldn't stand the funky texture of melted cheddar and since I started using the LOL sharp, it is the best Mac n cheese ever. Ok flame away

I just made this and was very yummy! Everyone enjoyed but when I watched your video, your sauce was very light colored. Mine was relatively dark even before I poured the milk in. My butter did not "sing", it just kind of burned so I added the flour and let it go on...what do you think I did wrong to end up with a sorta dark colored sauce?

Hi chef,I just made this and the cheese sauce didnt turn out to be as smooth looking as yours, theres a slight weird grainy texture in the cheese sauce. I think my problem was when i made my roux, the flour mixed with the butter to form sandy and clumpy lumps.

For those of you who tried this recipe and came up with a thick, clumpy roux (mine kinda looked like mashed potatoes) I think I might have figured out why this is happening--you need to use more butter (or less flour). If you use equal proportions of flour and butter the absorbent flour will just take in all the butter and you'll be left with a thick substance which looks nothing like what Chef John made in his video.

I recommend you use a little more than twice as much butter than flour. I tested this out using 1/4 cup of butter and about 1/8 cup of flour and the roux looked much like that in the video. Also, I believe it eliminates the "graininess" found in the finished product, as since the roux becomes clumpy it shows up in the end cheese sauce.

not true! I used what I list in the video and it works fine. Let the butter melt and flour cook for a minute. it WILL smooth out and get pasty. Give it a minute. NO need to double the butter! Rouxs have been roughly half fat/flour since they were invented.

I used the exact proportions in the recipe and the Mac n Cheese was perfect. And the panko.....I was a hit! My house full of college students loved it as I served it along side the mushroom veggie burgers.

The first attempt at the Rue, it turned brown after a 2 mins with the flour and got worse in the S/S Pan, I tried again in a cast iron pan and it seemed better, it still turned a slight brown but not as bad. I Added Tasty cheese slices chopped up with Regano Parmigano and Parmasen, all the other ingredients including the salt and the chesse sauce was pretty nasty, very salty and too spicy. The Panko turned out great, it had a wonderful crunch when I cut into it, its a pity though the cheese sauce was way too salty and too spicy. You put cayenne in a lot of foods, is this just your thing?Also were the cheese's I used already salty enough, sorry but I have to question your reason for so much salt... Grant.

It's not the pan, if the roux turns brown the heat it too high. In all recipes salt and cayenne are "to taste" meaning, add a little, taste and adjust. Also, do you use Reggiano Parmigano and Parmasen? Because you don't need the Parmasen if you use Reggiano Parmigano. Never add the amount of salt given in a recipe until you taste first! Good luck!

I tried again today, making Macaroni and cheese from your website, also viewed the making of the different white sauces and maybe its one of my ingredients, because the Roux + Cheese didnt combine, it just looked mean and tasted weird.

I simmered the butter, till it stopped singing, maybe a min or two past this happening, added the flour and mixed well and simmered on low heat for 4 mins, it had a grey brown light tan, I added the salt and pepper, thyme, cooked for 1 min, added the milk in portions, 3 cups, waiting on that to come to a boil and once that was done, added some Tasty Shredded Cheese. Around 4 cups, it just didnt combine completley and had lots of small lumps.

Hi Chef John,I love all your recipes but, I always have trouble making the roux. Everytime I try this one it comes out sandy and dry. It looks nothing like yours. I used exact proportions, but it never works for me. I could use some help.

I made this along with your cheesecake recipe. Both turned out fantastic! 1lb of macaroni was perfect with the amount of cheese sauce this recipe makes....for my liking at least! The crust was also perfect! Just delicious! Will be my new go-to recipe from now on, no more boxed mac n cheese for me!

For the domestic chefs in Michigan, try our very own Pinconning cheese (block-style), named for Pinconning, Michigan, instead of sharp cheddar. There is nothing creamier or richer for your Mac&Cheese. It melts perfectly with no graininess. Simply luscious and clings seductively to your choice of pasta!

This recipe and your other mac and cheese recipe were my inspiration for a...tuna noodle casserole!

And man oh man, it was the most delicious tuna noodle casserole we've ever had!

I did everything this video said to do for the sauce, except I used 1:1 bacon fat and butter for the base, omitted the Worstechire (I didn't have any), I doubled the amount of Cayenne and added about a tsp of hot sauce. I also used 3 pts cheddar to 1 pt parm-regg for cheese.

I used half (8 oz) of spiral noodles.

I added one can of tuna, and 2 cups of frozen peas/carrots/green-bean mixture (I microwave-boiled them before putting them in the sauce).

Then the topping: I couldn't decide which topping from your 2 recipe's to use, I had panko, chips, and parm all on hand, so I decided to combine your 2 recipes for the topping! So I mixed 1/2 cup panko, with 2 tbsp melted butter, 1/3 c. crushed chips, and about 1/8 c. of parm. and mixed it all together!

I topped my mixed tuna casserole with a little cheddar and then the combined topping, and then topped with some chopped fried bacon (that I had fried earlier for the fat base)

20 minutes at 400.

Anyway, it was amazing. It was spicy and the flavors and crunch and texture...so divine! We've never had a more delicious tuna casserole in our entire lives!

Thanks for the inspiration, chef! This one is definitely a keeper for our family!

The grainy problem some people might be having might be due to them tasting the cheese sauce and then putting the spoon back into contact with the sauce. Saliva (even tiny amounts!) breaks down the creaminess of cheese sauces. Sometimes if we are cooking just for ourselves it doesnt seem like a big deal to just use that same tasting spoon... but it is!

Chef: Can I make this dish the night before I want to serve it? I was thinking that I would put everything in a casserole dish with the topping and then store it in the fridge and bake it the next evening for dinner. Would that work? Thanks in advance! Karen

Great recipe, Chef John! I've always failed with Mac and Cheese recipes, but, this one turned out just as advertised! My only minor problem would be the flavor wasn't as cheesy as what I'd like, but, I can experiment with different kinds and amounts down the road.

All in all, I was quite impressed. Your recipes and technique are easy to understand and follow. Thanks for helping all of the cooking newbies out there! :)

Recipe is crazy good.Want to remind people that if the mac&cheese top is overdone it does not make for good leftovers.As awesome as this is, there are so many things you can do with it, ranging from toppings to bacon wrapping and deep frying squares.

I REALLY love Chef John's style and commentary - you are so fun to watch and listen to! I also got RAVE reviews on your Chocolate Mocha Pot de Creme...but I have to say, I leave out the coffee and renamed it "Truffle in a Cup" - HUGE HIT! WOW!

But this mac 'n cheese recipe isn't for us. I guess we like it plain jane - no thyme, mustard, etc. for us, but the rest of the directions make for a wonderful mac 'n cheese dish! :) Thanks! :)

Hi Chef John,I really want to make this dish, it looks delicious! Do you think it would be ok to add other cheeses as well> I just really love gruyere cheese and it would be great to have in my mac and cheese...thanks!

Hi Chef John! I just tried making mac and cheese following your video. But my cheese sauce probably isn't right. I'm not sure what i did wrong. It tastes slightly sort of 'gritty' or flowery?, maybe i put too much flower into the roux? Or is it the type of cheese i used? I used cheddar and young gouda. :/ Well.. maybe i need practice.

Family says very good! My middle child has acquired a taste aversion to boxed mac and cheese. (Flu last winter) I'm glad. I prefer to feed my family real food. This turned out fantastic! My daughter thought I should have put the extra optional cup of cheddar in. Will try next time. Also split the difference and cooked 12 oz. of pasta.

hey chef, great recipe :) what i did was left out the dijon and used a sweet and spicy red pepper mustard in its place. i also mixed all my seasonings into the flower before i mixed the roux (i dont know if it matters)and i used a piece from ur ovenless mac , crushed jalapeno kettle chips on top of the panko. you should try it with the crushed chips its amazing :) thnx again chef, keep'em coming

I want to make this for a dinner party but I live in Holland and cheddar cheese is very expensive and not common. What other cheeses go wel with a dish like this? Can I use Gouda? And should I use jong gouda cheese or old gouda cheese?

For years I have been pulling out my Fannie Farmer cookbook to get the ingredient proportions for (1) bechamel sauce, plus (2) cheese sauce (one of the bechamel variations, plus (3) macaroni and cheese itself, where the pasta, bread crumbs, and cheese on top come in. What a pain.Anyway, Marion Cunningham says under the bechamel recipe, "The foolproof way to attain a perfectly smooth sauce is to have the milk hot when added to the butter and flour. It uses an extra pot, but as you become more proficient, this cautionary measure may not be necessary."So now, Chef John, with your help and some cold milk I've reached proficient perfection. Thanks!

I just put this in the oven :-) I'm so excited, the sauce tasted great and I decided to add some cooked bacon on the top along with the panko and cheese. I double the recipe because its for thanksgiving dinner and I really hope my family likes it

Hello Chef John, Can this recipe be made with "low fat" ingredients? I would like to use non-fat milk, low-fat cheese etc. I lOVE this recipe but want to make it a way that we can have it more often. My waste line cannot take this! I know that some recipes don't work if you get rid of much of the fat. Thanks!!!

Chef John, would it be okay to prepare the mac & cheese, sprinkle top with panko and cheese, and then refrigerate for several hours? I was thinking about preparing this and bringing it to a party; the idea was to bake it there.

Can I refrigerate this for a couple of hours before baking? My hope was to prepare this, sprinkle top with panko and cheese, and then refrigerate before bringing it to a party to bake. What do you think, chef? Would it be better to bake immediately after and transfer the hot dish to the party?

For the roux you use 1/4 cup butter and flour. In a traditional roux its 5:6 (butter:flour). In this recipes it converts to 56 gram butter and 31 grams flour. I'm curious whats the thought behind this?

Your recipes use CUPS, i assume its US? But thats not truly clear, and might be confusing ;-)

I just made this tonight for dinner and the texture was grainy. I think the sauce separated. The roux looked good. I used cold whole milk, adding 1 cup at a time. By the time it was done simmering, it looked like it had broken a little. It didn't improve when I added the cheese. What did I do wrong? The only difference I can think of was that my thyme was ground and looked more powdery that yours in the video. I had a little trouble getting it down to a simmer - it was not a hard boil, but it was more than a simmer. Can that break it?One the positive side, despite the texture, we all loved the flavor. I want to try it again, but I'm not sure what to change.

I just made this tonight and it turned out grainy. The sauce separated a bit before I added the cheese. The roux looked good, I used cold whole milk, added one cup at a time, and it looked good all the way to the end of the simmer. At that point it seemed to be separating. Where did I go wrong? The only differences I can think of was my thyme was ground and had a more powdery texture that yours in the video. And I had a little trouble bringing it down to a simmer. I wasn't a hard boil but it was a little more than a simmer. On the good side, despite the texture, everyone loved the flavor. I want to make it again, but need help making it smooth.

Graininess usually comes from the cheese cooking too much. Also, not sure why you are letting this boil, you need to keep you heat lower it sounds. Other than that I have no way of telling for sure! Watch the video again, and give it another try! Enjoy!

I made this and also had the grainy burning problem. I found out it was because I had my heat on too high and I was not stirring the roux enough because I was trying to cook my pasta around the same time, too. Make sure you are stirring it a lot and keeping an eye on it!

I just made this tonight and also had the graininess problem. Maybe I'll wait for the sauce to cool down a bit before melting in the cheese, but then doesn't the cheese get simmered in the oven? The sauce with cheese was grainy before I put it in the oven. Not sure how to fix this. It was still quite tasty.

This tastes delicious. But mine came out with a grainy texture as well. I did use skim milk which, from some of the comments, I should have probably used full fat milk. I used cheddar cheese.. and followed the directions to a T. The sauce was very smooth. But after being baked, it has that grainy, sandy texture. Do you think it's from the milk? It is a great recipe, easy and very delicious...now if I can get the texture right, it will be perfect. Thanks for a wonderful mac and cheese!

I just made two of these yesterday. They were very easy to make. I am making them ahead for Thanksgiving. I froze them and will thaw them in the fridge on Tuesday before and then bake them right before everyone gets here. I am sure everything will taste great! I don't know what effect freezing/thawing will have but I've done it with pasta before w/o a problem. I'll post if there's anything remarkable!